This application is based upon and claims the benefit of priority from the prior Japanese Patent Applications No. 11-093794, filed Mar. 31, 1999; No. 11-093795, filed Mar. 31, 1999; and No. 11-093796, filed Mar. 31, 1999, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
The present invention relates to an endoscope device and an endoscope holder for use in medical or industrial applications.
For example, a medical endoscope will be explained. A medical endoscope has a manipulation portion provided at a proximal end of an elongate inserted portion and having a curving manipulation portion for curving a curved portion provided close to a distal end of the inserted portion. In addition, a tip-constituting portion of the inserted portion has an illumination or observation window formed therein and a nozzle formed therein for feeding an air or water.
The inserted portion internally has a signal line to which an illuminating optical system or image pickup element is connected, an air and water supply tube in communication with the nozzle, and a forceps channel for suction or insertion of a treatment instrument or the like.
The illuminating optical system and the signal line are each connected to a light source video unit operating as an external device, via a universal cable connected to the manipulation portion, and the air and water supply tube and the forceps channel are each connected to an air and water supply and suction unit. In addition, the forceps channel is in communication with a treatment instrument insertion port formed in the manipulation portion.
In order to observe and treat the inside of a body cavity, a standing operator grips the manipulation portion with the left hand, while holding the inserted portion in the right hand to insert it into the body cavity. While observing the inside of the cavity using a monitor or the like, the operator manipulates the curving manipulation portion to curve the curved portion, operates an air and water supply and suction button, or inserts the treatment instrument into the forceps channel through the treatment instrument insertion port to gather tissues as required.
In this case, the operator must perform manipulations while holding the manipulation portion of the endoscope in the left hand, that is, holding the weight of the inserted portion connected to the manipulation portion, so that the operator""s left arm is likely to be fatigued. This is a heavy burden on the operator if the observation and treatment requires a large amount of time.
In order to solve such a problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Sho) No. 63-194659 provides an endoscope control box in a chair in which the operator sits, and connects the universal cable for the endoscope to the endoscope control box so that the operator can hold the manipulation portion of the endoscope and insert the inserted portion into the body cavity for observations and treatments while sitting in the chair, thereby alleviating the operator""s fatigue.
However, although Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Sho) No. 63-194659 can reduce the operator""s burden in that the operator can manipulate the endoscope while sitting in the chair, this is the same as typical endoscope manipulations in that the operator grips the manipulation portion with the left hand, while holding the inserted portion in the right hand to insert it into the body cavity. Thus, this application cannot relieve the operator""s fatigue. In addition, the endoscope control box in the endoscope control box is disadvantageous in that cords or tubes must be placed around the chair in which the operator sits, thereby obstructing the operator or an assistant such as a nurse.
In addition, in order to solve the above problem, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Hei) No. 6-30891 provides a branched portion at a connection between the manipulation portion and the inserted portion and connects the universal cord to the branched portion so that a light guide, a suction channel, and an air and water supply channel can be inserted through the universal cord, thereby reducing the size and weight of the manipulation portion to ease the operator""s fatigue.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication (Tokkai-Hei) No. 6-30891 is a structure in which the universal cord with the light guide, the suction channel, the air and water supply channel, etc. is connected to the branched portion provided at the connection between the manipulation portion and the inserted portion, thereby reducing the size and weight of the manipulation portion to some degree. However, when the operator holds the manipulation portion in the left hand, the weights of the manipulation and inserted portions and the universal cord are placed on the operator""s left arm, so that the operator""s left arm is likely to be fatigued. This is a heavy burden on the operator if the observation and treatment requires a large amount of time, whereby this application cannot relieve the operator""s fatigue.
In addition, to lessen the cumbersomeness of the manipulation performed by the operator to curve the curved tube portion in order to improve the curving manipulation, a motor-operated curved endoscope has been proposed which curves the curved tube portion of the inserted portion using the driving force of an electric motor.
The motor-operated curved endoscope generally has an angle wire located in the inserted portion so that a pulley with the angle wire laid around it can be rotatively driven to draw the angle wire to curve the curved tube portion. In addition, a rotary encoder is mounted on a shaft portion of the electric motor to detect the angle of the curve based on an output signal from the rotary encoder in order to control the operation of the electric motor so as to curve the curved tube portion up to a predetermined curving angle.
According to the conventional curving method, the angle through which the curved tube portion is curved is determined by the traction movement of the angle wire, which is located in the inserted portion. The angle wire, however, is inserted through a coil sheath located inside the elongate inserted portion and is guided up to a tip of the curved tube portion, so that it moves in sliding contact with an inner surface of the coil sheath during traction, and is subjected to a frictional force from the coil sheath. In particular, when the coil sheath is bent, the angle wire is pressed hard against the inner surface of the coil sheath when moving in sliding contact therewith, and it is thus subjected a larger frictional force.
In general, the inserted portion and the coil sheath are correspondingly bent, and the shapes of the coil sheath and the inserted portion vary correspondingly. Consequently, during the use of the endoscope, the coil sheath is bent into various complicated forms in a fashion corresponding to the inserted portion, and the frictional force received by the angle wire, which is in sliding contact with the coil sheath, varies with its shape. In this manner, the angle wire undergoes a tension that varies with the frictional force it receives, so that it may be elongated to some degree and its locational relationship with the coil sheath may vary. On the other hand, a large compressive force is applied to the coil sheath as reaction to the tension exerted on the angle wire, whereby a certain degree of compressive deformation or distortion is actually inevitable. In addition, in curving the curved tube portion, the traction force to be applied to the angle wire may also vary depending on the amount of external loads on the inserted portion, resulting in the varying tension of the angle wire and the varying frictional or compressive force on the coil sheath.
As described above, in curving the curved tube portion, due to the frictional force applied to the angle wire by the coil sheath or for another reason, an angle down phenomenon may occur in which the amount of curving manipulation using the angle wire decreases to diminish the amount of curving below a required amount.
As a result, the curving angle of the curved tube portion, which is an output value relative to an input value for the electric motor, does not always follow this input value and may vary depending on the curvature of the inserted portion.
In order to solve the above problem, a motor-operated curved endoscope has been contemplated which has an angle wire displacement sensor provided in the inserted portion for detecting the displacement of the angle wire in order to use this vale as control information or to feed back angle wire displacement information to angle manipulation means.
With such an endoscope, however, when the angle manipulation means is used to curve the curved tube portion, the angle wire may be subjected to tension and it cannot be determined whether the tension is due to the angle manipulation or an external force occurring when the curved tube portion collides against a certain object.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an endoscope holder and an endoscope device that can be easily manipulated and that enables the operator""s fatigue to be alleviated.
Further, it is another object of the present invention to provide an endoscope device that can independently detect the curving angle of a curved tube portion and an external force applied to the curved tube portion to accurately determine the conditions of the curved tube portion, wherein the device can be easily manipulated.
According to claim 1, an endoscope holder is provided which comprises an endoscope holding portion for rotatably supporting holding an endoscope with its inserted portion extending downward, and holding means for suspending and holding the endoscope holding portion.
Additional objects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out hereinafter.